


Nightmares in the City

by DarkMoonMaiden



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, BAMF!Nano, Gen, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Minor Violence, Urban Magic Yogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 01:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13261107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMoonMaiden/pseuds/DarkMoonMaiden
Summary: Still trying to get the hang of living in the city, Will becomes overwhelmed and falls into a nightmare realm while he sleeps.





	Nightmares in the City

**Author's Note:**

> Winter never fails to make me miss UMY, so here's a small lil thing <3 Also first posted fic of the year! Woo!

Objectively, Will knew that the sheer amount of people in the city would be a shock to his system. His hometown had been small, enough so that everyone knew each other and you could drive from one end to the other in about five minutes. 

Will knew that it would take some getting used to--the new ley lines, the amount of magic, the sheer  _ energy _ of it all. It was going to take all of his effort and concentration to keep everything out of his head, and sane.

He should’ve known that the first night would’ve been a nightmare, quite literally.

It usually took a lot of elbow grease to get the spells and potions needed for a normal person to walk in the dream world, but Will had always had a natural tendency for dream magic. He wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as his grandmother had been, or his mother, but there was enough of the magic in his blood that he was sensitive to the dream realm. He usually just skimmed over the surface and some of the more innocent and harmless dream worlds, never actually dipping into them. The few times in the past he had accidentally fallen in had luckily been safe and uneventful.

The dream realm of a city changed with its inhabitants, though. It was amplified when the number of people increased, their dreams collecting and melding together to make a larger landscape than, say, Will’s small town. A collection of subconsciousness, woven together and brought to life by the magic of the inhabitants and in the city itself, reflecting whatever thought flitted through the person’s head.

It had taken Will a few moments to realize he had no idea how he got outside, and that he wasn’t awake. He carefully stood up, looking around the street. It looked like one of the roads a few blocks over from Uncle Xephos’ house, except it was completely devoid of any life or cars. The road and sidewalks were open, and the houses were all dotted with black windows. The sky was a purplish-blue that helped lighten the corners that would have otherwise been dark, hidden from the streetlights.

He slowly started making his way down the street, looking around for any sort of movement, but everything was deathly still. It was horribly unnerving, but Will supposed it was better than actually seeing a strange figure in the corner of his vision, which seemed like was going to happen at any second.

There was the sound of rushing wind before Will's foot collided with something and he stumbled forward.

It felt like tripping and falling into a puddle. His stomach flipped, and icy cold washed through his entire being. When he raised his head, the world had transformed into gray. The streetlights were off and askew, seemingly weighed down by an unseen presence. The windows that had once been deep black were now a dulled gray with murky shadows moving in them. In dark corners, he could see willowy beings swaying back and forth.  _Figures_.

Will swallowed tightly and pushed himself back onto his feet, ignoring the way cracks were slowly coming into existence on the pavement.

Without looking behind him, he could  _ feel _  the beginnings of something rising up from the darkness.

After only a single glance behind him, Will had enough ammo to get him sprinting away. He didn’t know for sure what had sprouted all of those arms and the moans of pain, but he knew he wasn’t about to stick around to find out.

He raced through the streets, desperately trying to remember what his mom had taught him. He could remember the times she’d sat him down and explained to him what he should do if he ever found himself in a nightmare realm, but all of her lessons were buried under his inner monologue of constant swearing and the need to get the  _ hell away _ from whatever those things were.

An icy hand grasped his ankle, and he went tumbling down, scraping his elbows. Will shouted in pain and vainly tried to drag himself away, but there were suddenly a dozen hands clawing at his legs, and the screaming was reaching a pitch so high he couldn’t even hear himself over it all.

When Will shook off one hand, there would be two more to replace it, freezing his skin through his flannel pants, the cold slithering up his body. It wasn’t long before half of his body was numb with the cold, and his fingers were hard to move as he scratched at the ground, trying to get some sort of purchase on one of the cracks in the concrete. But every time he’d find a hold, the stone seemed to turn into gel, fluidly shifting until he lost his grip.

Tears were in Will's eyes now, and it felt like he was being pulled faster backwards as his struggles became weaker and weaker. His heart was hammering in his chest, and there was rushing in his ears as his vision started darkening around the edges--

Suddenly, there was a clear voice that broke through the moans and screams.

“Shoo.”

And then the clawing hands were gone in an instant, the voices were quieting, fading back into the gray landscape. Will quickly scrambled onto his knees, head dizzy from the sudden stop. He looked up at the woman who was standing in front of him.

Parts of her were blurry, like much of the dream realm. He could vaguely tell that her dress was red and gold, but only her face was fully in focus. Her skin was what really caught his attention, though--parts of it were stained a vibrant purple, and it seemed to swirl and pulsate. The purple skin went up her arm and onto her face, covering one eye that was a bright milky white.

The woman smiled softly, holding out her human hand, and Will found himself automatically taking the outstretched hand. Immediately, the last tendrils of shadows retreated, releasing him from their icy grasp and the fear that they brought with them. His heartbeat began to slow down, and the dizziness was gone. 

He couldn't get a word out before she was helping him stand up.

“Come along, darling,” the woman said briskly. “Let’s get you out of here.”

She didn’t say anything about how he refused to let go of her hand, clinging to it like it was the only thing keeping him from drifting further away (some part of him whispered that it probably was). To Will, it seemed like they were walking aimlessly in the darkness, but she seemed to be following an exact path.

It begun to get darker until it was pitch black, but Will didn't feel any fear, or like something was going to reach out and pull him back. The woman holding his hand was so sure in herself, and seemed to emanate a protective aura. Then their surroundings started to lighten to a dark gray that was just bright enough for Will to see the outline of a door.

The woman opened the door and led them into the corridor with shifting gray walls that now had slivers of liquid gold mixing into the swirls. It was much warmer, and Will felt a sense of calm wash over him. His grip loosened minutely, but he still held her hand as they walked down the hallway. She was still a bit fuzzy, but seemed to be a bit more in focus. He could see now that there were two pins in her hair, each with two strings of pearls dangling and large peonies that seemed to glow.

She stopped in front of a wooden door that appeared on the wall next to them in a blink. She pushed it open, revealing a room with a cream-colored carpet, a table, and a single bed. There were strings of lights strung around the ceiling, the lights hanging from wire so thin it looked like it was spun from a spider. It wasn’t like any other room Will could remember staying in, but it felt more like home than any other place he’d visited that night.

The woman tilted her head to look up at Will (how had he not noticed that she was shorter than him? He’d thought she’d been a giant) and gave him another smile. 

“You just need to take a quick kip and you’ll wake up in your bed,” she said. “You won’t need to worry about any other nightmares going after you tonight.”

He hesitantly nodded and stepped into the room. “Uh, who are you?” he asked, glancing up at her.

Her lips quirked into another smile. “We’ll meet and talk properly when you're awake,” she told him. “I’ll tell you then.” She wiggled her fingers in farewell and pushed the door shut.

Will stared at the door for awhile before he finally approached the bed. He poked at the mattress--it _felt_ like a regular bed. He decided to just bite the bullet and lay down on it. 

As soon as Will’s head hit the pillow, his eyes were falling shut and then they were flying open, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom, sunlight filtering in. A quick scan of the room confirmed that he was indeed back in his own room in his uncles' home. Downstairs, he heard Xephos and Honeydew moving around, getting ready for the day. 

Shaking off the last of his sleep, Will went downstairs and greeted his uncles. Lalna was absent, more than likely sleeping in late after a long night of tinkering with gadgets.

“Are you alright, Will?” Xephos asked, laying his hand on Will’s shoulder and startling him out of his thoughts. “You look tired.”

“Oh, it just took me awhile to fall asleep,” he lied with a casual wave of his hand. “It’s a lot more noise at night than what I’m used to.”

“We could put up some silencing charms on the windows, if it gets too bad,” Honeydew offered, glancing up from his newspaper. 

“Nah, it’s not a big deal,” Will shrugged it off. "I'll get used to it soon." He unconsciously rubbed at the scrapes starting to scab over on his elbows.

“Well, if you’re still up to it, Lomadia was hoping you’d stop by for a bit,” Xephos said. He absently flicked his wrist towards the kitchen, and the sink turned on, the dishes floating up and running themselves under the water before being scrubbed by a sponge.

“Lazy bugger,” Honeydew grumbled, a fond smile on his face. Xephos pointedly ignored him, but his eyes sparkled with mirth as he set down a plate laden with food in front of Will.

“Yeah...yeah, I'll still see her,” Will said, taking a bite of his toast. He pushed the events of the night to the back of his mind and focused on the conversation his uncles were having.

***

He went to Aunt Lomadia’s house later in the afternoon, carrying a bag of carefully packed baked goods from Xephos. It was only a few bus stops from his home (luckily in the opposite direction of the street Will had visited in his dreams), with vines growing up the sides of the brick and a neatly tended to garden.

The door opened and Lomadia stood in all her glory, wearing charms in the guise of jewelry and a plain smock and jeans. Her eyes shone gold for a second from excitement before flickering back to her normal blue. She smiled at him.

“Will!” she exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug and kissing his cheek. “It’s good to see you. Come in, come in.”

The house that Lomadia shared with Nilesy was warm and thrumming with energy. The air was heavy with the smell of incense and cinnamon, and almost every available surface was brimming with trinkets, herbs, wands, and all types of paraphernalia the duo needed for their spells and magic. A tabby cat jumped onto a bookshelf, blinking slowly at the two of them.

“I was just about to make some tea,” Lomadia said, taking the cookies from Will before leading him through the organized chaos. “These will go perfect with them. I have a friend over, I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s no problem.” The last word came out strangled as they entered the living room and he saw the woman sitting on the couch.

The woman smiled at him, face nothing but friendly and warm, just as it had been in the dream. The purple skin was the same as before, stained deep into her skin, but it was still, and her eye was a dark purple, rather than the previous milky white. 

“Hello, Will,” she greeted him warmly. “It’s good to see you.” 

“Nanosounds’ a good friend of mine,” Lomadia said as she went to the cupboard and pulled out a plate. “She works downtown at a specialized charm shop, and she helps me with me and Nilesy’s work a lot.”

“You mean I come and save your arses when you eventually summon a demon or are up to your ears in curses,” Nano snickered playfully, dodging the halfhearted punch thrown at her.

Lomadia must have noticed his stares, because her smile started to falter. “Don’t be scared of that purple mess,” she sighed heavily, crossing her arms. “It isn’t contagious like everyone likes to say.”

“No, no, I, uh, know that,” Will hastily said, his ears starting to burn as he took a seat across from Nano.

"I suppose you don't have many fae back home, either, but I promise, there are good ones, and no, they don't steal children."

"It's--I know, don't worry--"

He was saved from further embarrassment by the tea kettle in the kitchen starting to whistle. Lomadia shot him one more disappointed look before leaving the room. He kept his gaze on the floor while she was gone, shooting nervous glances at Nano, but she seemed content to finish sewing up what seemed to be a redheaded doll of some kind, with a miniature leather jacket.

Will swallowed dryly as Lomadia returned and poured him some tea. Did the woman not remember him? Had the figure from the night before been some sort of apparition or shade, who had taken on the form of some random person to make him feel at ease? Would it be awkward to bring it up?

Lomadia and Nanosounds didn’t act any differently, chatting with each other and asking Will about how he was liking the city so far. He managed to answer them normally enough, and neither discussed his nervousness. Lomadia seemed to chalk it up to discomfort around the flux, sending him chiding glances, but he couldn’t think of a way to convince her it was anything else without telling her about the night before, and that was a can of worms he didn't feel like opening.

After a few minutes of conversation, there was a soft explosion from the other room, followed by a squawk from a man, assumedly Nilesy. Lomadia set down her teacup, a scowl settling over her features. When there was a second explosion, she was growling and pushing up out of her chair. 

“Excuse me while I make sure that idiot didn’t kill the cat again,” she said shortly. “You two go ahead and finish your tea.”

As Lomadia went into the other room, already cursing Nilesy, Nano reached into her pocket and slid a small, light blue packet across the table to Will. He hesitated before curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up,  turning it over in his hands. The smell of lavender and basil wafted out of it. 

“Stick that under your pillow,” Nano stage-whispered at him. “That should keep you grounded at nights, at least until you get used to it all.” 

Will startled and looked up at Nano in shock. The woman gave him a secretive grin over the rim of her mug and winked.

“I figured you wouldn’t want Lom fussing over you if I told her that I’d helped you out last night,” Nano explained. "Besides, it's not my issue to tell."

“So it was actually you?” Will couldn’t help but ask. “You were in the dream world with me.”

Nanosounds nodded. “When Xephos told me that you were coming to live with him, I made sure to keep an eye on his house,” she explained. “Nothing invasive, of course, just...surveillance. Ugh, that sounds creepy." She scrunched her nose in displeasure. "I swear it’s not as creepy as I’m making it out to be.”

“Anyway, I felt it when you fell into a nightmare, and couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Dying during your first night would’ve been boring, and you haven’t seen my shop yet.” She laughed at her own joke, but Will barely managed a weak chuckle.

“How’d you, um,” Will swallowed. “Get in my dream?”

“It wasn’t actually  _ your _ dream,” she corrected him. “You were in a nightmare realm. I simply went into the same one as you. I didn’t invade your privacy so much as to actually get into your head. I just followed the trail you left behind.”

“Am I that noticeable?” he blurted out.

Nano crossed her legs, grimacing. “A bit like a bull in a china shop,” she confirmed. “Any person with a lot of power draws attention. It’s gonna get you in trouble if we don't get you in control of yourself soon, but we’ll work on it before anyone finds you.” She grumbled something under her breath about garbage that left Will feeling more confused. “Keeping you in your own head while you sleep will help for now, so don’t go panicking too much, love.”

She stood up, pulling on her coat. He zeroed in on the fact that it was the same color as her dress in the dreams, a vibrant red with gold trim and embroidery.

"I do have to go now, though," Nano sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I've got to make sure  _my_ idiot hasn't exploded the shop to bits. Will you tell Lomadia I'll be back tomorrow with her runes?"

"Sure."

“Thanks, love. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, just call my name,” she smiled. “Welcome to the city, Will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Comments/kudos are much appreciated! If you have any suggestions you can go ahead and send them to my tumblr: continuitygains.tumblr.com :)
> 
> I hope everyone's having a lovely start to their year <3 I'm planning on posting a lot more this year, and finishing up some WIPs I have for this fandom :)


End file.
